When a strange little girl is found in Iowa, an ancient evil begins to stir. Something has been waiting for this moment, something that once spent a long time trapped beneath Lakehurst. Something that will never stop until it gets what it wants.
Having shot her little brother dead, Annie Radford was once sent to Lakehurst, where she discovered that the voices in her head might actually be real. Now, teaming up with Elly Blackstock, she sets out to discover the source of the horror that once lurked in the hospital's grounds. She soon discovers, however, that a face from her past is also involved, but can Annie – with Elly's help – defeat the powerful force that even now is reaching out to destroy the world?
The Madness of Annie Radford is the third and final book in the Asylum trilogy. This is the 2022 edition of the original 2018 book.
Amy Cross writes novels and short stories in a number of genres, mainly horror, paranormal and fantasy. Books include The Farm, Annie's Room, The Island, Eli's Town and Asylum.
This is not a standalone book - it will not make any sense of you haven't read the first two ( Asylum and Meds). I have been waiting a while for the trilogy to be completed and I wasn't disappointed. This finishes off the series well and I particularly liked the ending. I can't really say much about the storyline as even small details would be spoilers!
This book probably has the least amount of continuity and grammatical errors in out of all of Amy's books. It's a shame that this even has to be mentioned though - please, please stop rushing the publication of her books as some are so riddled with errors it really damages the reader's experiences and is unfair to the writer.
The third installment of the Asylum trilogy. Several typos which always bugs me when reading. Editing is important guys!
I did enjoy this trilogy although the characters were extremely irritating. So many questions and procrastination. I found myself skimming much of it.
A completely batty storyline but I do like Amy Cross novels and will carry on reading them. She has some really good ideas. This was an okay trilogy, just as not polished as it could have been. With a little more care to the editing and dialogue I think it would have improved it a great deal.
I really enjoyed the first 2 books in this trilogy, and I have loved Amy's other books too but this one was a struggle. I found it really difficult to get into, I found it a pain to keep up with the backwards and forwards of it all, and the ending was pretty atrocious. It was just so far fetched. I stuck with it because I wanted to know the ending but it wasn't even remotely like the first 2 books, the whole feel to it was different.
For readers who enjoy fantasy this book might just be the thing for a rainy afternoon. It seems a bit simplistic, though the author does offer several twists and turns of plot to make up for its overall lack of depth. The thing I found most interesting was the main character's struggle to decipher reality from madness. I think this struggle is probably the most significant part of the story. As one who has worked with many clients with schizophrenia I found this struggle to be one of the most realistic facets of the book. Figuring out who we are as people and deciding if one's thoughts are good or evil is not just a task for the mentally ill, but all of us.
No, I can't say much because anything could spoil it for others...it's a fast-paced read and ties everything together.
Disturbing, clever and imaginative.
I do wonder at the mix of English and American - as an English author it should be kept English but, I suppose, an American editor has been involved, and yet it's not consistent either way. Still good storytelling and not too many typos.
I enjoyed it, as I do all this author's work, although, I do prefer the fantasy.
Recommended (but must be read in order to make sense).
I did not have to go back and forth between the first two books of this series to remember all that had happened with Annie, but it was all wrapped in folds within Annie fighting for her sanity. The Best Series I have ever experienced since Stephen King's The Shinning. I do not give spoilers or hints at the storyline. Dare to go in blind and Experience Amy Cross's tale of Annie Radford.
Really enjoyed the 3rd book in this short series. This one had so many twists and turns and ins and outs that it had my mind going in a lot of different directions. I loved the intricacy of the story line and the road to the final ending. This was a real mind grabber! If my mind wandered even a little I had to go back a page or two to get back in the loop. Great story! Super entertaining!
The book is not as interesting as the first two but I did enjoy it and was able to read it without getting bored. It was a crazy story and the grammer was so much better than her previous books. I always enjoy her books. Always keeps you on the edge. I honestly didn't really think a 3rd story to this series was needed but it did ok. It's hard to remember what was all going on in the first two books when the 3rd comes out quite some time later.
The idea was good but, unfortunately, the story lost its way. The plot was just too complicated as it tried to bring together the strands from Books 1 and 2. The ending, for me at least, was unsatisfactory. It was if the author couldn't decide on how the trilogy should end.
Seriously! This was my least favorite of the book. Not a good end and not a good way to tie the first two book. There were just so many odd things that were added that made no sense such as the evil entity and the whole Elly being Annie thing. There were also many many typos. Please make sure several people proof read prior to publishing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Good book pleasure to read strong characters. Could read again . Unusual subject. Would read again or similar. Great i magination work a real page turner. Would read another of her books. Someone might not like the horror in this book What is madness? Normal to one is odd to another
I liked this least of the trilogy. it just went too balls to the wall by adding crazy plot twists and devices. Some of it made sense, some of it did not. This falls more to the sci-fi territory than horror; not that it doesn't have horror elements. the ending itself wasn't enjoyable for me either. I won't spoil it but it just didn't set right with me.
Of the 3 books in this trilogy, this was the strangest. Horror/Fantasy always requires a certain suspension of disbelief, and I expect that, but this last volume was too far out for me to take seriously. It just became silly, and I'm glad to be done with it. If there should ever be a sequel, I'm not interested.
The first 2 books are truly amazing, i just cant give 5 stars because of the ending..and the struggle of Annie and her madness...also the way she acted in her decisions/acts towards the entity... And about the Entity..i think in my opinion it will be more macabre if it appeared as an old demon not just pure nameless evil.. But overall thank u Amy Cross for this magnificent trilogy
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I was unsure how to date this book. It is not an easy read as the plot becomes more and more insane and unbelievable. You are very wrapped in a mad world with crazy things happening from chapter to chapter. At least there is a definite ending. Be warned this is very gory.
More of the same weirdness and twists and turns....and madness! This book made me up my WHAT quotient from the 2nd book but not quite as much as the first. I will say this book strayed a little into more sci-fi territory with the horror, which suited me just fine. All in all, I really enjoyed this trilogy!! You just have to experience it for yourself.
It was not good . I'm surprised I have it 2stars .not up to Crosses standard! It was repetitive ,made no sense whatsoever,went no where. As if she just wrote to fill in the book. I hope her next is better because I am a fan!
This whole 3 book series was nearly impossible to put down. Such imagination! I am ecstatic that I ran across Amy Cross and her books. This series are the first of her books I have read and I certainly will be reading more.
This was an excellent end to the Asylum Trilogy. All three books were well written and absolutely captivating. I really enjoyed the complex details in the story. I highly recommend this trilogy.
After reading the 2 books before this and being disappointed I wasn't looking forward to this one. But I was pleasantly surprised. Although there were still so many spelling mistakes it was a much better read than the 2 previous ones. Not brilliant it was at least readable
I completely devoured this series. The twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat. Usually, I count myself as a somewhat "detective" who generally picks the plot twists quickly, this had me guessing the whole way through. I'd recommend this series for sure
After reading the 2 books before this and being disappointed I wasn't looking forward to this one. But I was pleasantly surprised. Although there were still so many spelling mistakes it was a much better read than the 2 previous ones. Not brilliant it was at least readable
The first two books were very entertaining. This one was not what I expected. Poor choice on how to end the trilogy. Brain transplants? Could have done better.
Poor Annie! No wonder she couldn't tell what was real and what was imagined. I even had trouble keeping track of it all. A very interesting concept is revealed towards the end.